Saturday NBA sees two of the highest-scoring teams facing off in what is destined to be a barn-burner.

The Houston Rockets have been known for their offensive attack and subsequent disregard for defense. Those two facts are even more enhanced with Mike D’Antoni running the sidelines — not to mention James Harden running the show as the team’s starting point guard.

The Denver Nuggets are just as offense-oriented, but the catch is that they don’t have that go-to scorer who can drop 30-plus on any given night.

What they do have, however, is one of the most unique big men in the game. Nikola Jokic is the player to watch in this one as he’s going to test the Rockets every time he’s on the court.

Houston Rockets

The Rockets typically enter a contest with the idea that they need to control the pace. There are few teams in the NBA that run a faster pace, meaning it’s easy to force opposing squads out of their comfort zones.

In this one, that strategy is tossed out the window — kind of.

Nobody in Houston is going to plan on slowing it down. That’s simply not going to happen.

But pushing the tempo is no longer a part of the strategy considering Denver is just as comfortable getting out on the break. The key to this one is controlling turnovers.

Against a team like Denver (who is going to run regardless), it’s a death wish to fork up the ball and give up easy buckets.

Harden can typically get away with high-turnover performances because of his talents scoring and creating for others, but he’s going to need to keep things under control if Houston wants to walk away with the win in this one.

Denver Nuggets

Everything we just said about Houston applies to Denver. The Nuggets typically look to control the pace, as few teams in the league can keep up with them.

Houston is a different beast, however.

Unlike the Rockets, however, Denver needs to pay specific attention to its shooting percentages. Simply put: The Rockets are better at the Nuggets’ style than the Nuggets.

Asking Denver to get stops seems unrealistic at this juncture, so hitting a strong percentage will be key.

Part of that will come from Jokic. Although Jokic isn’t guaranteed to be the team’s high-scorer (although he’s proven he can be), it’s his creating for others that’s going to be key.

If he’s able to get guys good looks, Denver could keep this one close in a tit-for-tat approach.

NBA Betting Trends:

Rockets are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 road games.

Rockets are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.

Rockets are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 vs. Western Conference

Nuggets are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall.

Nuggets are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 vs. Western Conference.

Nuggets are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games.

Nuggets are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 1 days rest

Free Houston Rockets vs. Denver Nuggets NBA Prediction:

Both of these teams are solid against the spread, if for no other reason than they each score a ton of points. Even straight up losses don’t seem that bad when you score enough points to keep it close.

4* Free NBA Betting Pick: Rockets -2.5

This game originally opened with Denver at +5, which would have been a number we were more comfortable with. The Nuggets are motivated to make the playoffs — especially after trading for Plumlee — meaning they’re going to fight against the league’s elites.

The catch is that as little defense as Houston plays, we just can’t picture them winning by fewer than three points.

Give this one to the Rockets by about five points.

NBA Free Score Prediction: Houston Rockets 120 – Denver Nuggets 115

If you’re looking for more NBA picks like this Houston Rockets vs. Denver Nuggets matchup we’ll be providing 4* free NBA predictions on the blog during the entire 2016/17 NBA Season, and check out our Experts for guaranteed premium & free NBA predictions!

CappersPicks.com has NBA Odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find DAILY NBA playoffs lines up as well.

About PDX Knox

He's young! He's Brash, he's on a non-stop mission to destroy as many sportsbooks as he can, or at least is humanly possible. He hates losing! Perfect recipe for cashing winning tickets. He's been doing just that from the West Coast since College! Stick with PDX PIX for your NBA, NCAAB, NFL & NCAAF plays all year long!

We respect your privacy and will never sell or give away your info to any third party. Please make sure you add our email to your “safe” email sender list. All email you receive will be from CappersPicks.com (Via FeedBurner or Constant Contact) & you can opt out anytime!